Friday, October 31, 2003

Young George learns what advertising is or Phase II of childhood:Understanding and accepting the big lie...


When I was my daughter's age, I remember seeing an ad on tv for Mr.Bubble. Remember'Mr.Bubble'bubblebath? The kids would pour the soap into the bath water and out would come this huge bubble, talking up a storm, being a playmate to whoever was taking a bath, friend to all. Of course it was an animation but for a child it was very real. I begged my mother to get a box of Mr.Bubble and I couldn't wait to get home to have my very own taking Mr.Bubble in my bathtub.

Then the reality hits when that water is running, and the suds are poured in and what does the child see? Small bubbles. Lots of them but, very small bubbles. Parental unit says 'There he is! All of those little bubbles are Mr.Bubble!' Bullshit! The child wails because of the disappointment and there is no reasoning to be done because someone lied to that child. I remember going off because I expected Mr.Bubble to be there, to be my friend. I won't be lonely anymore because I have my very own friend. Can you understand why some people go insane when they are confronted with crap like this in their adult life? I know, I'm ultra sensitive but this is my reality, along with a bunch of more serious childhood traumas...BR>

I guess I'm still pissed off about that lie but I had left that memory behind until a reminder appeared.
My daughter is an avid reader and at 6 years old she is in a program that rewards her when she reads so many books with a pizza from the HUT of PIZZA (I don't get paid for endorsing anybody. Please leave money in my PaidPal account for each blurb and I'll rewrite this entry with YOUR business name in full). She was so excited about finishing her reading and getting pizza but then I realized this is going to be a Personal Pan Pizza. I bet she's thinking this will be a pizza as big as the house. It's going to break her little heart when she sees this tiny little pizza. I relived my own disappointment. The certificate she was given said get a free pizza when completing this assignment. We are constantly being trained to read between the lines. This is life in general in this system, isn't it? When lying,ur...I mean when advertising or campaigning, phrasing is very important. One has to color the words so that the truth is actually being told but it still is a lie.

I guess my daughter has a better grasp of reality than I've given her credit for. She was fine with the personal pan pizza. Thank goodness someone is mature here!